Ted Schubel with Info to Go - The latest State Police update on the Caroline balloon incident: The search will continue until sundown, at which time efforts will be scaled back due to the difficulty of navigating the terrain in the dark. However, the Command Post and state police will remain on scene overnight to secure the perimeter of the search area. At daybreak Sunday, full-scale search efforts will begin again. BACKGROUND: BAGDAD, Va. - Shortly before 8 p.m. Friday (May 9, 2014), 13 hot air balloons took flight from Meadow Event Park as part of an ongoing hot air balloon festival. The balloons headed north of the park to a pilot-chosen landing site in a field off Ruther Glen Road. Two of the balloons landed there safely. During its descent, the third balloon came in contact with a live utility line. The contact sparked an immediate fire. Based on witness accounts, the pilot attempted to regain control of the balloon and manage the fire. At one point, the balloon’s two passengers exited the basket/gondola. Then witnesses recall hearing an explosion and the fire continued to spread. The gondola and the balloon then separated. Virginia State Police, Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, Caroline County Fire and Rescue, and Henrico County Police spent the evening and overnight hours searching the immediate area for the balloon’s three occupants and the wreckage of the balloon and basket. The FAA also responded to the scene Friday evening to conduct its investigation. Searches have been conducted by air and on the ground of the rural, heavily-wooded terrain. Shortly before midnight Friday, crews recovered the remains of one of the occupants near the vicinity of the landing site. The remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond for positive identification. At approximately 11 a.m. Saturday, a second body was discovered by search crews. The remains are being transported to the Medical Examiner for positive identification. More than 100 personnel have spent Saturday walking the immediate area in the vicinity of Ruther Glen Road. Additional resources have been brought in from Civil Air Patrol and search and rescue canine teams from around the state. The NTSB also arrived on scene Saturday to conduct its investigation.
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 01:25:20 +0000
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